Watching robins run across the lawn, blue jays strut and call, mourning dove pairs fly in tandem, hearing the rat-a-tat of the woodpecker, the glorious song of a wren; these help us stay connected to the natural world we live in. Plant what these birds need and you’ll have them in your garden also!
Aster - This flashy fall bloomer provides seed for cardinals, gold finches, sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice.
Echinacea - (Purple Coneflower) These late summer blooming flowers with seed filled “cones” are attractive to finches especially, but also to many other birds.
Helianthus - (Perennial Sunflower) Perennial sunflowers usually bloom late in the year with small flower heads. The seeds produced are attractive to mourning doves, chickadees, finches, meadowlarks, nuthatches, and titmice.
Rudbeckia - (Black-eyed Susan) These golden-yellow daisy flowers bloom in late summer. They are especially tasty to finches, cardinals, sparrows, and many others.
Sorghastrum nutans - (Indian Grass) This graceful beauty produces especially attractive seeds for many birds. All grasses are useful for nest building.
Yucca - The dramatic, nectar rich flower spikes of yucca are fragrant and attract hummingbirds and orioles.
Create a windbreak that provides both food and shelter for birds. Useful trees and shrubs include the following: